Jill shared a few months back that she was compelled to return to the show since she’d have the chance to work with overweight teens, but she also has another reason. “No matter what I do — and I do everything: radio shows, DVDs, books — there’s something about the show that gets in people’s heads in a way that other mediums just can’t. I went to see Madonna in concert and she played all this new music. And everybody just wanted to hear ‘Holiday.’ I realized this is ‘Holiday’ for me.”

She says that if we’re expecting her to be a little less tough on her contestants now that she’s a mom, guess again. “Everybody was like, ‘You’re going to be so much softer.’ And I really wanted to be, but it’s not the case. I feel like aspects of my business and home life are being sacrificed for me to be here, and I need that sacrifice to be worth it. It’s worse than it’s ever been, actually.”

Jillian says that she’s glad she went public about her children and her private life (she and partner Heidi Rhoades adopted Lukensia from Haiti and gave birth to son Phoenix). She’s surprised at the positive response. “I was surprised. People were pretty supportive. We’ve got it all going on in our household — two moms and a black daughter — so I thought we were going to get it from every angle. But, for the most part, people basically said, ‘God bless. Congratulations!’”

Are you tuning in tonight for the new season? Are you excited to see Jillian back in action?

Kathleen Spencer is a pop culture fanatic, movie aficionado, lover of celebrity gossip and is a confessed mommy blog addict. Kathleen has a decade of experience writing about the trials, tribulations and triumphs of celebrities and their cohorts.